


"Love"

by Angel_L_V



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22489939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_L_V/pseuds/Angel_L_V
Summary: "Remember the plan. Exactly as discussed. Not one foot out of place." The plan was perfect, and yet they had failed. SHE had failed.
Kudos: 7





	"Love"

“You had one job! One job!”

Emerald couldn’t look at her. Couldn’t face the look of disgust and disappointment. Her master had been angry before, but she’d never lost her composure like this. Emerald felt like she was going to be sick. She had long since dropped to her hands and knees begging for her forgiveness to no avail. Her fingers were dirty and bloody from clawing her hands into the hard ground, trying to dispel the pain that echoed throughout her entire being with something physical. _Anything to make this more bearable,_ Emerald thought as the cold wind blew across the empty field surrounded by the forests that engulfed either side of the clearing they occupied, the dirt road Emerald groveled in beaten down by various travelers from over decades if not centuries. Their plan had gone almost perfectly. All it took was one step out of line, her master had told her as much. She had given her everything when she’d had nothing, and Emerald still found a way to betray her trust.

Emerald heard a long, slow sigh before a much calmer yet stern voice broke the silence. “Look at me.” She tried. Desperately, she tried to serve her, to start making things right after her colossal failure. “Look.” The voice began to come closer. “At.” Emerald was trembling at this point, sensing the voice’s owner standing right above her. She started to feel tears begin to seep out of her eyes, and felt herself nearly choke on her own spirit. She was disgusting and she knew it. “Me.”

Emerald, who was at this point outright sobbing, finally mustered the ability to slowly look up, swallowing heavily as her crimson eyes met those of Cinder’s, who looked down at her like she was less than human. “Cinder,” Emerald started, but her master’s glare ordered her to be silent, a command which she obeyed without question.

“Hmm.” Her master uttered. “It seems you still know how to follow simple instructions. What a surprise.” Emerald’s heart felt like it had been stabbed by Cinder’s very words. _I’m so sorry,_ she thought as Cinder looked away from her, causing Emerald to lower her head in shame once more.

“Mercury,” Cinder called to her other subordinate, to which the grey-haired assassin replied by approaching the two of them. He’d been silent since their mission went awry. _He probably finds this funny,_ Emerald thought as the young man stopped just shy of either of the girls’ personal spaces.

“Yes ma'am?” He asked her, courteous as ever to her. She was the only one he addressed in such a way, likely out of fear rather than respect, but there was an added casualness to his voice. _Probably not scared right now, now that I’m the one who’s failed._ She felt the need to wretch, even just admitting it to herself internally made her want to vomit.

Cinder looked back down to Emerald, seeing the girl’s tear-soaked face pleading for any sign of mercy or even a hint of forgiveness. Emerald’s hopes were crushed as Cinder openly sneered at her look, and Emerald was speechless, her mouth hanging open. She had difficulty even processing what was happening. This was Cinder, her master, her protector, the woman who had given her everything she’d ever desired. _Much more than those who “raised” me,_ Emerald thought as she once again looked to the ground in shame.

“Beat her.”

Emerald froze, and her head shot up to look at both of them. Mercury looked at Cinder with confusion while Emerald’s eyes widened in shock and fear. “C-” she silenced herself, remembering her order to stay silent. Cinder had heard it regardless, and without a word closed the distance between the two and caught the side of Emerald’s cheek with her bare hand, the dark-skinned girl not even activating her aura in response. She couldn’t. Not against Cinder. _Please,_ Emerald thought as a lone tear streamed down the cheek her master had just so ruthlessly struck, mixing with its senior brethren. _Forgive me._

“Are you sure?” Mercury asked their superior. He seemed almost… uncomfortable to Emerald, as if he wasn’t entirely okay with beating her. This surprised Emerald. _Since when are you so sentimental?_ She thought. _Or sentimental at all, really._ Under any other circumstances, this would have amused Emerald. This just confused her.

She didn’t have time to truly analyze the situation, however, as Cinder responded to her subordinate with a look that told Mercury without any words to never question her again. This was always Cinder’s specialty, her ability to have conversations with others without even speaking was a gift The slightest glance could tell you an entire tale, and this particular skill had served her both well and long before Emerald had joined her. Mercury silently walked over to be in front of Emerald’s still lowered form, Cinder backing away as he readied himself.

Emerald felt the first slap, and immediately became afraid. Not of the slap itself, in fact the slap had dealt no damage whatsoever, just gliding across her aura. That was the problem. _That was nothing,_ she thought. She wasn’t afraid at the lack of pain, but at Cinder’s wrath as she openly scoffed at what all three of them knew was a pathetic excuse for even a slap. “I told you to beat her,” Cinder said, her voice so sweet yet undercoated with venom. “Or would you rather I punish you, Mercury?”

Mercury tensed up at that, and responded with a hard punch to the left side of Emerald’s temple, jerking her head slightly but leaving her head unmoved beyond a few short inches. Cinder scoffed at that. “Much better,” their leader said, smirking. “But Emerald, dear. You’re making it too hard on him.” She finished that last statement with a sarcastic amount of pity flowing from her lips as they curled into a smile, only to drop to a flat line as she ordered Emerald:

“Drop your Aura.”

She shivered openly, clearly afraid for her safety. But just as quickly as her involuntary movement had come, Emerald’s Aura dropped. Mercury, not wanting to offend his superior wasted no time, sending Emerald’s head to the floor, her body following alongside from the force of one of his fists landing right where his previous attack had. Mercury wasted no time, kicking the girl in the stomach immediately afterward, the cybernetic limb nearly forcing a scream out of Emerald. She remained silent aside from a small whimper as the wind was knocked out of her, the sound barely even audible. She hadn’t been told she was allowed to speak, and she wouldn’t. And she didn’t for the entire duration of her “punishment” as Mercury continued his assault for over half an hour, carefully striking her in different parts of her body, yet being careful to stop only at the edge of permanently damaging the green-haired girl. By the time he was done, she was lying on the ground in the fetal position, crying again yet still making as little sound as possible, her blood mixing with tears and spit in several small pools on the ground around her.

A quick hand raise behind her grey-haired tormentor made him halt his endeavor. Cinder looked down to the broken mess of a subordinate lying amongst the dirt, and spoke:

“Do you have anything you’d like to say to me?”

Emerald took a moment to register the question, her entire body throbbing as pain filled her entire being. A few seconds later, however, a slow nod emerged from the girl.

“I haven’t all day, little one.” her boss stated matter-of-factly.

She slowly made an effort to rise, barely being able to move her shaking form. She had gotten both her palms to the ground and began to start sitting up until a quick flick of Cinder’s wrist had Mercury silently approach her once more and deliver another quick kick to Emerald’s gut. The girl flopped over onto her back from the force of the mechanical instrument, spitting out a small rush of blood onto the dirt as she went. Cinder turned away from the girl, clearly displeased. “I said I haven’t all day, _little one.”_

Emerald, this time with a renewed drive to please her savior, the one who had given her everything, she began to rise. Sitting up at a slow but steady pace, she flipped herself over so that she was on all fours, raising her head just enough to make eye contact with the back of her master’s own. “I’m s-” she coughed out a small amount of blood trying to finish her sentence. Deciding that she couldn’t respond to her in this state, Emerald slowly extended her shaking arms, pushing herself up to sit on her knees before looking up to Cinder once again, this time with determination laced over the guilt and pain in her eyes. “I will never fail you again.”

Cinder smiled, her back still turned to her minion. “Good.”

  
Cinder flicked her wrist once again, signaling Mercury to follow her as the two began to walk away, leaving Emerald to find herself to her feet and slowly walk behind them. _I’ll make this up to you, Cinder,_ she thought as she moved one foot in front of the other, careful not to fall down again, determination filling her very soul. She’d failed her, that much was certain. Had Emerald not just remained still, the Fall Maiden’s powers would be her master’s. But she would make it right. _I swear on my life, Cinder._ Emerald even managed to crack a small smile as she slowly caught up to the other two. “I love you,” she muttered under her breath. Even with the distance, Cinder still heard her. The amber-eyed semi-Maiden smirked.


End file.
